APPENDIX.

Three Orders of the King in Council (relative to the Trade between the Subjects of his Majesty's Dominions, and the Inhabitants of the United States of America), made, in pursuance of the Powers given to his Majesty, by 23 Geo. III. c. 39. which was paffed the 12th of May 1783.

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INTRO

INTRODUCTION.

BEFORE I enter on the immediate fubject of this Compilation, I must intreat the Reader's patience whilft I take notice of the different European powers that have fettlements in America, and amongst whom such parts of the New World as do not remain in the hands of the Indians, or in the poffeffion of the United States of America, are at prefent divided; which is the more necessary, on account of the change of property occafioned by the late Peace. It may not be improper in the firft place to premife, that America was difcovered by Chriftopher Columbus, a Genoese, in the fervice of Spain, on the 16th day of October, 1492, and took its name from Americus Vesputius, a Florentine, who, in the year 1497, was employed by the Spaniards, or, as fome fay, by Emanuel king of Portugal, to make further difcoveries. But the French pretend, that the Bafque fishermen frequented Newfoundland before Chriftopher Columbus found out the New World.

The story mentioned by Poftlethwayt in his Dictionary, of a Welsh prince having discovered America in the year 1109, I take to be altogether fabulous.

On the discovery of America, Pope Alexander the Sixth, by Bull, gave the New World to Ferdinand and Ifabella, king and queen of Caftile and Arragon, as if he had a right to difpofe there

of.

of. See an Extract from this Bull in Vattel's Law of Nations, fol. 90, in notis.

In the year 1497 or 1498, John Cabot was employed by Henry the Seventh, king of England, to find a North-weft paffage to China; but although he failed in that attempt, yet he dif covered the North-eaft Coafts of America, which compofe the greatest part of the British Colonies in that quarter of the world. Sebaftian Cabot accompanied his father in that expedition; but was not the perfon employed by Henry the Seventh, as is commonly faid.

This great Western Continent, which is frequently called the New World, is faid to extend from the 80th degree of North Latitude to the 56th degree of South Latitude: And its greatest known breadth is from the 35th to the 136th degree of West Longitude from London.

Its greatest length is faid to be between eight and nine thousand miles; and its greatest breadth about three thoufand fix hundred and ninety. It is bounded on the Eaft by the Atlantic Ocean, which feparates it from Europe and Africa; and on the Weft by the Pacific Ocean, or South Sea, which feparates it from Afia. It is divided into North and South America; and both thefe great peninfulas are joined together by the Ifthmus of Panama, which, at Darien, is only fixty miles wide. The English Spaniards, Portuguese, French, Dutch, and Danes, are the only European nations that have Colonies in America, unless some of the Islands between America and Afia, which are claimed by the Ruflians, are nearer to the American than the Afiatic fhore. Soon after the difcovery of America, the Spaniards poffeffed themselves of the largest and beft parts of it. In North America they have all that part of Louisiana,

which lies to the Weft of the river Miffiffippi, New Mexico, California, and Old Mexico; and by the treaty of Verfailles, Great Britain has ceded to Spain the two provinces of Eaft and West Florida. In South America the Spaniards poffefs Terra Firma, or Caftilla del Ora, Peru, Chili, and Paraguay, or La Plata. They have alfo the Islands of Cuba, Porto Rico, Trinidada, Margarita, Juan Fernandez, and a great part of Hifpaniola, or St. Domingo; befides a great number of fmall Islands, both on the East and Weft-fide of America, that are too infignificant to be enumerated.

In South America the Portuguese have Brafil, which was difcovered by Americus Vefputius in 1498, and lies between the Equator and the 35th degree of South Latitude; and fome fmall Inlands on the coaft of Brafil, the principal of which are Fernando, St. Barbara, and St. Catharine's.

Since the ceffion of Canada (or Quebec) to Great Britain, and of Louifiana to Spain, the French have no fettlement on the Continent except that at Cayenne, fituate between the Equator and the 5th degree of North Latitude; but they have a great part of that large Inland called Hifpaniola, or St. Domingo, which is the most valuable of all their American Colonies. The French have also Guadaloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, and feveral fmall Inlands, fuch as Marigalante, Defeada, the Saintes, Bartholomew or Barthelemi, Cayenne, and part of St. Martin's: And by the Preliminary Articles of 1783, Great Britain has ceded to France the lfland of l'obago. St. Lucia was captured by the English in the last war, but was reftored to the French on the late peace.

The Dutch have feveral Colonies on the Continent of America, fituate a few degrees to the north

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north of the Equinoctial, which lie on large rivers. The principal of these settlements is at Surinam, which once belonged to the English; the others are Berbice, Demerara, and Efrequibo; but these Colonies are not in a flourishing condition, owing to the land being low, and fubject to floods; and Surinam and Demerara have fuffered much from infurrections of the Negroes.Some of thefe Dutch fettlements (and in particular Demerara) are inhabited in a good meafure by unfortunate planters from the English Weft India Inlands. The Dutch have also the Iflands of St. Eustatius, Saba, and part of St. Martin's to windward; and to leeward, near the Spanish main, they have the Iflands of Curaffou, Bonaire, and Aruba: but these Islands are finall, and barren, and derive all their confequence from the contraband trade which the Dutch carry on with the Colonies belonging to other powers. In the last war, Demerara, Efrequibo, St. Euftatius, Saba, and St. Martin's, were captured by the English, but retaken by the French. When I paid my respects to the Governor of St. Euftatius on my going to fee that Island in 1763, he informed me, that in the former French war, before the English broke up the trade between St. Eustatius and the French Islands, he had feen upwards of two hundred and seventy fail of veffels in the Road of St. Euftatius at one time. I have lately been informed, by an acquaintance from the Weft Indies, that before Lord Rodney took St. Eustatius, there had been fix hundred fail of veffels in the Road of St. Eustatius together. The Danes had no footing in America, until the Englifh gave them St. Thomas's, one of the Virgin Inlands; and after they had fettled it, they took poffeffion of St. John's, a fmall Island, which is